Musical instrument



(No Model.)

W. CARTER.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 477,167. Patented June 14, 1892.

W/TNESSES. lNVENTOH. gafhw xmM Bywwbf 4 TTOHNEYS' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM CARTER, OF ALBION, NElV YORK.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 477,167, dated June 14, 1892.

Application filed November 19, 1891. Serial No. 412.381. (N0 model.) I

To aZZ wh0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM CARTER, of

Albion, in the county of Orleans and State of New York, have invented a new and useful ImprovementinlVlusicalInstruments,ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention consists in an instrument of novel character and which may appropriately be called a nasalette, inasmuch as it is a means designed to be used in the production of sound by the passage of air from or blowing through the nose and regulating and varying the sound so produced to obtain any desired tone by the player working orchanging the position of his tongue, substantially as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 represents a side view of the instrument as in use on the nose and in the mouth of the performer. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the instrument 011 a larger scale, and Fig. 3 is a rear vertical View thereof.

The instrument comprises an upper nose cap or hood A, constructed to fit over the lower end of the nose and to inclosc the outer ends of thenost-rils, with freedom for passage of air from the latter into said hood as a receiver for the air blown by the performer through his nose. From the outer or front end of this cap or hood A a duct B descends, which connects below with a mouth-tube O, that is designed to be held between the lips, and which, or said connected mouth-tube in front, is construeted or provided with a sounding-strip b or its equivalent-a reed-arranged within the plane of the duct 13 and over or opposite an opening 0 in the front end of the mouthtube, said tube being also open at its rear end, which is held between the lips.

The instrument may be made of tin, brass, copper, rubber, celluloid, or any other'suitable material or materials.

In operation when it is in place upon the face of the person, as shown in Fig. 1, the air blown through the nose into the hood A is passed down and deflected by the duct B into the forward end of the mouth piece or tube 0 and caused to strike the sounding strip Z) or its specified equivalent-a reedand by the vibration of the soundingstrip or device a musical sound is produced that can be regulated, varied, or modulated to express any desired tone or tones by means of the mouth and working or changing the position of the tongue over or at the back of the mouth-tube C, as in whistling. Wire loops (1, having rubber attachments e, are represented as applied on or to opposite sides of the instrument for the purpose of holding it in place, theloops going over the ears of the performer. By means of these wire loops and rubber attachments the performer will have his hands left free to use or play any other instrument at the same time; but these attachments may, if desired, be dispensed with.

The instrument requires little or no practice to play upon, and almost any one who can whistle with the lips can play upon it.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A nasalette or musical instrument provided with a nose cap or hood adapted to form a receiver for air blown through the nostrils, a duct for deflecting such air downward from said receiver, and a tubular mouthpiece connected with said duct below and provided with a sounding strip or device for the air expelled from the hood-shaped receiver and through the mouthpiece, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a nasalettc or musical instrument constructed substantially as described, of attached opposite side holding devices adapted to hug or receive the cars of the performer within them.

3. The combination,with a musical instrument of the character described, of the opposite side holding devices adapted to hug or receive the ears of the performer within them and constructed of wire loops, with rubber attachments uniting said loops to the instrument, essentially as shown and described.

XVILLIAM CARTER.

Witnesses:

GEO. B. CHURCH, W. O. RAMSDALE. 

